Lil Nas X Criticized for Copying Sega Bodega’s Artwork While Teasing Dreamboy Project
Lil Nas X teased his upcoming project Dreamboy, which has faced accusations of plagiarizing Sega Bodega’s artwork. On November 12, the rapper announced his new single ‘Light Again!’ would be released on Friday, November 15. However, he caused an uproar online after tweeting more details about the Dreamboy world, sharing artwork for the project that stirred controversy.
The rapper expressed his gratitude to his supporters, acknowledging how fortunate he feels to have them stick by him, despite the challenges. He shared that Dreamboy isn’t just an album but a reflection of his process of dealing with loss and striving for a new future. He revealed his excitement about bringing fans along on this journey.
However, Sega Bodega, whose real name is Salvador Navarrete, took to X/Twitter to highlight the striking similarities between the artwork for Dreamboy and that of his 2021 single ‘Angel on My Shoulder’. He suggested that Lil Nas X might have copied his design.
This isn’t the first time Lil Nas X has faced plagiarism allegations regarding his artwork. In 2021, similarities were noted between the video for his breakout hit Montero (Call Me By Your Name) and FKA Twigs’ Cellophane, released in 2019.
Andrew Thomas Huang, the director of Cellophane, shared a side-by-side comparison of the two videos on TikTok, both featuring the artists pole-dancing into darkness. He captioned the video: “@lilnasx take me off your mood board or hire me”.
A day later, Huang shared a longer thread, noting that whether intentional or not, copying other artists’ work is a reality. He emphasized that creating music videos is a labour of love, but the pressure from major labels for constant content makes their work feel disposable and forces artists to compete with each other.
FKA Twigs later expressed her gratitude to Lil Nas X on social media, sharing that they had spoken. She thanked him for their thoughtful and honest conversations, and for recognizing the inspiration Cellophane provided to him and his creative team in the making of his iconic video.
She expressed admiration for his work, saying it was amazing and that she fully supported his expression and courage in advancing culture for the queer community, calling him a legend.
In his own post, Lil Nas X referred to the Cellophane video as “a masterpiece” and admitted he wasn’t aware that its visuals would inspire those who worked on the effects for his own video. He expressed gratitude to FKA Twigs for reaching out to inform him of the similarities between the two videos, saying he hadn’t realized they were so alike and had only been excited for his video to be released.
Additionally, in 2022, Lil Nas X was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit over alleged similarities between his LIL NAS X GIVES BIRTH video and Dana Dentata’s Pa**ychrist album and artwork. Court documents obtained by The Blast revealed that Dentata had sent a cease and desist letter to Lil Nas X’s management, claiming that he used “copyrighted material” nearly identical to the Pa**tychrist music video, essentially using it as a basis for his own work.
–Silviya.Y
